Page 55 of Breaking News

“God, I hope she’s back tomorrow,” he moaned. He picked up his blazer and walked out of the studio, likely heading upstairs so he could recount to Meghan how he barely survived this whole ordeal.

Marco rubbed his eyes as he strolled past, letting out a slow exhale. “Haven’t smoked in seven years, but I need a damn cigarette.” He muttered under his breath, disappearing through the studio doors.

“I hope Jill’s better tomorrow,” Olivia said beside me.

I nodded in agreement, though I knew that probably wasn’t the case. Of course, our excuse on-air that morning was that Jill was sick, but we made it seem like she’d just come down with the flu or a common cold. What she had going on was much heavier than that.

Whatever it was, she wasn’t going to recover in just twenty-four hours.

Later that morning, I excused myself to head up to my office and called Jill from my work phone. She picked up after the first ring, letting out a sigh before answering, “Hello?”

“Hey, Jillian.” My knee shook beneath my desk.

“Graham? I thought this would be Marco!”

“Marco’s currently outside questioning his life choices, and if I had to guess, he’s either lighting a cigarette or contemplating walking into traffic.”

She laughed. “I can guess why.”

“Did you see?”

“I watched every awkward second of it.”

I smiled, picking up a pen to doodle on the edge of my desk calendar. “How bad was it?”

“You know what? It wasn’tcompletelyterrible,” Jill said, giggling into the phone. “Meghan called last night to tell me you roped Chase into doing this, and I was bracing myself for the absolute worst.”

“You sound surprisingly upbeat. How are you feeling?”

“Rested. And I caved and took one of the pain pills my doctor prescribed. It isn’t a miracle cure, but it’s helping.”

“You ‘caved’? Why not take them if they’re prescribed to you?”

“Because it’s just short-term relief, and they make me really loopy,” she said with a sigh. “I can’t be half-conscious when I’m trying to deliver the news.”

“Chase was fully conscious, and he still read from the teleprompter like it was written in Greek. It’d be a step up from that, at least.”

“Poor Chase,” she laughed out.

I bit my bottom lip, absentmindedly drawing a spiral with my pen. “It’s good to hear you laugh. Even if it’s only because you’re hopped up on painkillers.”

“Are you going to let me return tomorrow?”

“I think everyone else would stage a walkout if I didn’t,” I answered. “But having said that, if you need another day to rest, just say the word.”

“No, Graham, I’m okay. Just one day off is all I need. Actually… there’s one other thing.”

“What is it?”

“I think I need Cocoa Pebbles,” she said, pausing for a beat. “Like, medically. They might be the only thing that can cure me completely.”

I grinned, spinning my pen between my fingers. “I might be able to hand deliver some Cocoa Pebbles. Unfortunately, it’ll have to be tonight, because I’ve got a class to teach this evening.”

“Okay, Professor Harlowe,” she said, her voice dropping to a playful tone. “I’ll be waiting.”

Oh, fuck.After we hung up, I leaned back in my desk chair and covered my face with my hands like that might somehow protect me from the fact I was completely screwed.

We couldn’t do this again. I couldn’t let a bowl of cereal turn into her moaning my name beneath me. This time, I’d give her the cereal, make sure she was okay, and keep my hands to myself the entire time.

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